People Detail

From provost to provider, Roderick keeps giving

The Fort Lewis College Foundation has announced the endowment of what is now to be known as the Stephen A. Roderick Endowed Scholarship Fund. The scholarship is designated to support Fort Lewis College students in the Teacher Education program.

Dr. Roderick spent more than 30 years at FLC, most recently as provost in between two stints as interim president. His interest in teacher education goes back to his early days at FLC when he was a Teacher Education professor and eventually chair of the program. His desire is to help with the significant financial investment that a college education entails.

“Look, this is important for our students,” says Roderick. “We can’t fund all the scholarships we’d like from the College’s General Fund.”

Another love for Roderick is sports, particularly Skyhawks Athletics. Even after his retirement from the College in 2011, he’s still a frequent spectator at Skyhawks games. He sees his scholarship fund as being particularly valuable for student-athletes pursuing their teaching degree.

“Between their sport and other schoolwork, student-athletes often don’t have time to do the student teaching necessary to earn their degree during their playing days,” he explains. “Let’s help them out.”

Endowing a fund means that the total within the fund has reached an amount high enough that it can be invested. The interest earned off that initial invested amount is then awarded, increasing the longevity of the fund. A person could give enough money to endow a fund all at once, or they can start a fund and build up the total over time, like Roderick did.

Either way, an endowed fund means that students will be benefiting for years to come. “For anyone considering giving, endowing a fund is a way to ensure that your contribution will live on for the long term,” says Roderick.

Most of us think accounting is all about crunching numbers. For alumnus Brad Tafoya, though, being an accountant is more about heart than about spreadsheets. He and his firm, Tafoya Barrett & Associates, are all about helping their clients and their community reach their full potential.

Student journalists with The Independent, the College’s student news organization, dive into a real newsroom atmosphere and experience deadlines, story assignments, and breaking news like any major news organization does. The purpose behind The Indy goes beyond reporting the news, though, to offer students professional journalism and publishing experience as undergraduates in a constantly evolving field.

Alumna Cheryl Frost was recently elected to the Southern Ute Tribal Council with an ingenious – and unique – campaign platform: She ran on no platform at all. “I know the kind of person that I am,” Frost (English, ’95) says. “I don’t make promises to people that I can’t keep. I don’t make deals with people. I’m not going to put myself in an ethical quandary before I’m even elected. That’s why I chose no platform.”